Management on the Cheap

Saying you want a "lean and mean" organization and then bogging managers down with meetings and administrivia - that's management on the cheap.

Saying you want to create a work environment where people do their best work and then failing to collaborate with employees (notice I did not say empower, which is generally a fake term and patronizing) about projects and decisions that affect their work - that's management on the cheap.

Saying you value relationships and then failing to engage people in meaty conversations about the business - that's management on the cheap.

Saying you reward for excellence and then avoiding dealing with people who are not making the grade - that's management on the cheap.

Saying your company is interested in bringing in new talent to help improve the business and then failing to seek out diverse opinions - that's management on the cheap.

Telling your employees that ongoing development is important and then failing to ensure that you keep learning and developing - that's management on the cheap.

Saying you value managers and then designing their jobs such that no one wants to do that work (or worse, takes the promotion and then checks his/her brain at the door) - that's management on the cheap.

Alignment is integrity. Say what you'll do, then do what you said you would. Organization integrity is the degree to which you are set up for success and your words and intentions are aligned with actions and measures. Take this post into your next management staff meeting and let it catalyze a great conversation. Small changes in alignment can make a big difference!

Comments

[Wally Bock]

Remember, when your walk and your talk don't match, the people who work for you will pay the most attention to your walk.

[Lisa Haneberg]

Wally, you are so right. We are all like anthropologists at times - we create a story about meaning and life base on the artifacts we see. In current times this includes observable behaviors.